Anyone keeping tabs on NHL 21 news recently will no doubt have spotted a link to the “Technical Test” that has circulated around a little recently. If you haven’t seen it yet, you can find the link here. While not being referred to by EA as a Beta (open or closed), as well as not being posted on any of their official social media accounts, we nevertheless believe that this will be the beta for NHL 21. As such, we recommend that everyone sign up to it as soon as they can due to the potential that there may be a limited number of codes available.
The above is a screenshot, click here to sign up for the NHL 21 Beta
As for what we know (or more accurately, what we don’t know). We do not currently know what game mode(s) will be included in the supposed beta, but if previous iterations are anything to go off then expect to see a slimmed down EASHL and HUT. Of course, given the cloak-and-dagger approach that EA are taking I personally would not be surprised if this coming beta is extremely lacking in content. Additionally, we also do not know who the cover athlete will be - something that was typically revealed alongside the ‘main reveal’ of the game that took place at the NHL draft.
What we do know however are the release dates. As usual there will be a Standard, Deluxe, and an Ultimate edition on both consoles, with the Deluxe and Ultimate editions letting players download and play the game 3 days prior to the Standard release date. Furthermore, just like years past, EA Access will allow members to play NHL 21 a week before the Standard release date. Of course, this comes with the caveat that you will only be able to play the game for 10hrs over that time period.
Therefore, NHL 21s release schedule will look something like this:
- EA Early Access - 9th of October 2020 (TBC)
- Deluxe & Ultimate Editions - 13th of October 2020
- Standard - 16th of October 2020
As always EA are offering unique pre-order bonuses for each of the three editions on offer:
- Standard - 1 Hockey Bag
- Deluxe - HUT Cover Athlete Choice Pack (Choice 1 of 6); 2 Hockey Bags
- Ultimate - HUT Cover Athlete Choice Pack (Choice 1 of 6); 5 Hockey Bags
What are your hopes for the beta - which mode(s) would you like to see included? And who do you think will be named as the cover athlete? Let us know in the comments.
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